Coincidental
by shadowoftime
Summary: NaruHina. Who is this mysterious person? Is he friend or foe? What is Itachi up to? How do they know each other? What's in store for Konoha?
1. Foolish Mistake

**I don't own Naruto.**

My first fanfic! Well, sorta. The first chapter of my first attempt at a fanfic was almost completely ignored. (How was I supposed to know that people would run when they saw 'centered around Original Characters'!). Anyway, this starts when Jiraiya begins training Naruto for the chunnin exam finals. I just picked a random spot in time. The only thing I know about this fic is that it will be NaruHina, as well as some very vague conceptions of an evil plot. Planning is too troublesome. I'll just make it up as I go.

* * *

Foolish mistake!

Death of a loved one!

Splash!

"I think I know what might be the problem…" murmured the large, white-haired man, more to himself than to his soaking wet student. "Naruto! Come over here!" The boy waded out of the river with a grumpy look on his face. "I have a theory I'd like to test. I need you to lift up your shirt and try channeling your chakra." The boy did as he was told.

Jiraiya froze. "Naruto…" he began in a calm and patient voice, "Where the hell is Kyuubi's seal!" He stopped channeling chakra and put his hands behind his head to relax. His reply was much too casual for this situation: "Oh, that's all? He offered to go get me some ramen if I let him out. That was back when you were watching those girls in the river, so…he should be back pretty soon." A grin overtook his face at the thought of his ramen finally arriving. "BAKA! What were you thinking!" This time he replied as if the answer was obvious: "Well, only Kyuubi and the Ichiraku guy know my favorite type of ramen, and if that ramen guy was here right now, I wouldn't need anyone to go get it for me." "Isn't it pork with extra noodles?" "No" he lied, struggling to control his temper. Sure, he didn't really know why he was so angry, but he didn't really care. Before he could jump at him though, he felt a tug on his orange jacket.

They both looked down to see an average sized fox with nine tails. His front paw was on Naruto's jacket, and in his mouth was a paper bag with the Ichiraku's Ramen logo. Naruto took the bag from him and patted him on the head, receiving a disapproving growl in response. Jiraiya just stared at the scene, not knowing what to think. As Naruto began eating his ramen, he felt the need to talk at the same time.

"Kyuubi here opened one of those parts of my brain that most humans don't use. His reason had something to do with dumb questions." "So are you smarter now?" asked the still startled man. At this question, Kyuubi snickered silently behind Naruto's back, causing Jiraiya to let out a small chuckle. "What? What's so funny?" Naruto managed to ask between mouthfuls of ramen. "Iie, it's nothing. Just hurry up and finish eating so we can go back to training."

By the time Jiraiya finished his sentence, Naruto had already finished his ramen at an amazing pace and made it over to the river. Jiraiya had already forgotten about Kyuubi, he had other things on his mind. "Naruto," said Jiraiya. His eyes focused on a spot farther down the river, "Try walking on the water again, you need to continue until you get it right." He awaited another splash, but none came. "Ne, Ero-sennin, how's this?" Jiraiya frowned at the student's name for him, but shrugged it off and turned his head _just _enough to include Naruto in his field of vision. Sure enough, Naruto was standing on top of the river with ease. "So, Naruto, you figured out what the problem was?" "Yeah, I think I was just too hungry to concentrate, and knowing my ramen would get here soon didn't help much either…" Jiraiya sweat-dropped. "Well, now that you've got the hang of it, can you lower yourself an inch into the water?" "Nope." Naruto replied simply. "Huh? Why not?" asked Jiraiya. He found Naruto's following explanation to be a bit odd: "I didn't wanna waste time finding the right amount of chakra to release from my feet, so instead I just put a whole bunch of my chakra into the water to begin with. See?" He pulled out two kunai, dropping one and tossing the other a few feet away. The on furthest from him quickly sank to the bottom, but the one he dropped landed near his feet as if the water around them was solid. _What an interesting but utterly useless approach…I'm not sure what Kyuubi did to his brain, but I don't think it made him much smarter…wait, Kyuubi! I need to talk to him about that… _

"Naruto! Get over here!" he yelled, finally turning his head toward Naruto. "We need to talk about your _friend_ over there." He motioned to Kyuubi, who was chasing a rabbit around the clearing just to watch it run in fear. "Don't you think releasing Kyuubi from the seal is a little bit dangerous!" "Relax, Ero-sennin, I said I'd only let him out if he left his chakra with me. He's just a harmless little mutant talking fox now." Hearing this comment, Kyuubi clawed at his legs, only to end up leaving the bottom of his pants torn. "Wait, what do you mean, talking?" "Oh, that?" answered Naruto, "He uses the air as his mouth or something like that. I think he said it uses fox magic." explained Naruto, wearing his 'I know exactly what's going on' look. **"Baka." **came a voice from the fox now standing at Naruto's side. **"I can use my demonic aura to vibrate the air around me. The vibrations are interpreted by your ears as sound. It works almost the same as you humans' vocal chords." **Jiraiya nodded, understanding what the fox had said. Naruto also nodded, pretending to understand what the fox had said.

* * *

Naruto had finished training for the day, and was now walking home by himself. Kyuubi had gotten bored watching him train, and had left for Naruto's apartment an hour ago. As Naruto walked, he remained unaware of the two dark figures lurking in a nearby alley.

"There he is." said the first one, referring to the boy walking on the other side of the street. "Okay, now that we've found him, our plan should progress smoothly from here." said the second, forming a hand sign. "You're going to use _that_? Is that really necessary?" the first one questioned. "No," replied the second, "but it will not only make this more enjoyable, it will get this over with really fast." "Then hurry up a do it!" urged the first, "As long as it gets that blonde-haired brat to stop interfering with my plans to get Sasuke, why would I complain?"

* * *

End of chapter 1

This chapter was short, but the story will be long.

Next chapter coming soon!

Please leave a review!


	2. Genin Test

**I don't own Naruto.**

First, I'd like to give thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter. Thanks for your input and support. Second, Words of Wisdom: "It's impolite to kill people…" Without further ado, I present to you, the second chapter!

* * *

The Genin Test!  
It Already Happened!

"Shintenshin no jutsu." said a voice, its owner's body going limp.

Sakura managed to catch it before it hit the ground. _Ino, you better not mess this up after all the planning I did._

A small ways away was the approaching form of a dark-haired girl with pale lavender eyes. Her eyes were focused on the ground deep in thought as she returned home from training with her team. She had been worrying about her late arrival home, when she felt a strange feeling wash over her body as, unknown to her, another's mind blocked out her own.

_Okay, step one, complete. Now I just have to use the right words…_

As her clueless target grew closer, she saw an opportunity. Running up to the orange-clad genin, she threw her arms around him in a loving embrace. _Arrggh! I'll never get this nightmare out of my mind! This better work…Now how does she talk…_

"Huh? Hinata? What are you doing?" asked the blonde-haired boy wearily, shock and confusion evident in his voice.

"Naruto-kun, I wanted to tell you that I've always looked up to you. You give me the strength I need to become strong." _Oh yeah, that was good._ "But most importantly, I wanted you to know that, Naruto-kun, I l-"

Her dramatic confession was interrupted by a piercing scream that echoed through the street.

_Damn it,_ thought Ino, _that was Sakura! I've got to see if she's in trouble._ Forming a hand sign behind Naruto's back, she soon awoke back in her own body.

Hinata slowly regained her senses, and began trying to remember where she was. The sun had almost sunk below the horizon, leaving only a faint glow of orange light to shine on the streets of Konoha. It had to be pretty late, and yet, it was warm. Her mind told her she was standing, but it seemed comfortable. As her mind continued to regain focus, she came to realize that she was holding something large, it was soft. It reminded her of her bed, but it wasn't quite so large. After a few more seconds, her mind had returned to normal, and she opened her eyes, the dull glow of the sun she knew was there making it hard to see.

She then turned to see what she was holding…_Naruto-kun?_ She thought, seeing blonde hair and an orange shoulder. It took a second, but her mind caught up with her, and an ocean of thoughts and questions washed through her head. It was too much for her to handle. She fainted, her body fell to the ground and her arms reluctantly released the one she loved so deeply, leaving her blushing face to rival the crimson light of the ever-setting sun.

* * *

"What do you mean, 'my fault'!" came an aggravated yell from a now dark alley.

"If you hadn't screamed, I would have completed step two! Crybaby Sakura, scared of a harmless bat." answered Ino mockingly with a hint of anger.

"I didn't ask you to abort the plan to _save_ me; I was just taken by surprise, that's all. And besides, it wasn't just an ordinary bat. I'm almost certain I saw its eyes glowing a shade of light blue, as if they were filled with chakra…" explained Sakura defensively, drifting of into thought as she remembered it taking off from only a few feet away from her into the night sky.

"Well, bats are blind, maybe this one just figured out how to use chakra to see." The blue-eyed girl suggested. "Sometimes we forget that even if they don't use it, all living things have chakra."

"Yeah, I guess so…" The pink-haired kunoichi still wasn't convinced. This definitely wouldn't be the last time that bat tugged at her thoughts, even appearing a few times in her nightmares.

* * *

_I wonder if Chouji's done with the all-you-can-eat barbeque yet, he can't just keep eating forever. After all, they've got to run out sometime. And this is the second time this week, isn't it? This time he just tells me to leave without him, saying he'll still be a while. What a troublesome guy…_

"What do you mean, 'my fault'!" came a loud scream from an alley a few streets away. _That sounded like Sakura, which means this one…_ At that moment, an equally loud reply echoed from the same direction. _…is Ino. I wonder what they've been up to this afternoon…

* * *

_

_Flashback_

_"Okay, that will be enough training for today. Shikamaru, we'll have you ready for the finals in no time." said a large bearded man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Yeah," added the blonde-haired girl, "Ever since we started training a few days ago, you've improved at least a little."_

_"Hey! We trained lots before that! It was just a different kind of training…" retorted the man in an almost child-like manner._

_"That wasn't training! You just had me and Chouji eat chips all day while we watched you lose to Shikamaru at a game I barely understand!"_

_"You two can stay here and argue if you'd like," Shikamaru interjected, "but Chouji and I are going back to that all-you-can-eat barbeque restaurant."_

_"You should come with us!" suggested Chouji, "Just like a few days ago!"_

_"No thanks, Chouji." Ino replied gratefully, "I've already made plans with a friend for tonight."_ If only he knew how literal those words were,_ she thought, running off towards her house._

_Asuma, they're sensei, agreed to join them, but had to cancel when he received a summons to speak with the Hokage on an undisclosed matter._

_End Flashback

* * *

_

He continued on his way home, the yells soon out of earshot, or maybe they stopped fighting…no, he must be out of earshot. He knew as soon as he got home he would be swamped with a ton of chores from his mother. He just accepted it. It was too troublesome to get out of it.

* * *

Naruto looked down at the girl he hardly knew, lying on the ground near his feet. He was too confused to hear the yelling coming from the alley across the street. His heart was still beating quickly, from the surprise, he assumed, and he began to regain control of his thought soon. _I hope Sakura-chan didn't see that. I wouldn't want her to get jealous and blame Hinata…No! I mean, I wouldn't want her to get jealous and feel bad, yeah, that's what I meant, believe it!_

He corrected the small slip of his mind, attributing it once again to his still present confusion. He then remembered Hinata was still unconscious on the ground, so knelt down to wake her up.

"Hinata, wake up, are you ok?" The question seemed to cause her to wake. "Naruto-kun? W-What happened? W-where…where am I?"

"You were acting strange." answered Naruto, still trying to think of a way to explain what happened. _Lie? No. Use puppets? No. I guess I'll just say it…_ "Well, I was just walking home from training, see? And you, well, you just came out of nowhere and started hugging me. Then you said you needed to tell me something important, but you just stood there hugging me. And after a few seconds you just looked at me and fainted. I didn't do anything though, it was your fault. No wait! That came out wrong, I mean, well, what I mean to say is…" Naruto explained. He got so nervous that he stumbled over his words and had to concentrate hard to even know what he was saying.

I didn't matter though. Hinata had blanked out after hearing the part with her fainting, her memory of awakening to find Naruto in her arms creeping back into her mind. As if that weren't enough, what Naruto just told her was enough to bring the blush full force back to her face, just as Naruto had given up on fixing his failure of an explanation/apology.

Noticing the bright red color on her face, Naruto began to wave his hands frantically. "No, wait Hinata, don't faint again-" but it was too late. She lay back in the same position as she was moments ago, once again showing no signs of consciousness. _What could be wrong with her that would make her faint twice in a row? I should get her to the hospital; maybe they'll know what to do…

* * *

_

End of chapter 2

I've cut this chapter off sooner than I would have liked to, but I've beenforgivingly busy lately.Igot done writing this chapter yesterday, but my computer started having problems,preventing me from gettingthis chapter up.By the way, in case you were wondering, the two girls' plan is not the evil plot that I mentioned at the start of the story. Next chapter should have more to it; looking back this one seems to have only covered about five minutes in the story. Hopefully I will have a chance to get the next chapter up sometimesoon (after I decide what will happen in it and write it, of course.), but I'm not making any guarantees. Please leave a review!


	3. The Sun and the Moon

**I don't own Naruto.**

I have decided that I will make the description and chapter titles less random from now on, so as to not make me look as crazy as I may be. Thank you for the reviews and whatnot, they inspire me and blah, blah, blah…Here is another chapter, which spans an entire day. If you have questions or comments, leave them in a review afterwards. Now read! (please?)

* * *

The Sun and the Moon

It was another bright day in Konoha; the sun had risen a few hours ago, and the moon still lingered in the sky as it often does, seemingly waiting for the sun to approach it but disappearing into space just before it does. At this time, there was an equally bright ninja strolling through the streets of Konoha. Not the kind of brightness that pertains to intelligence, but the kind of glowing personality that seems to warm the hearts of all it comes into contact with.

Jiraiya had given Naruto the day off from training today so that Jiraiya could attend to personal matters. _Yeah right. _thought Naruto as he passed by the bookstore, seeing an ad for a soon-to-be new book hanging in the window.

He continued on his way, not entirely sure where he was going. He could finally completely ignore the quick glares the villagers gave him. He now knew for sure that he wasn't the demon that attacked the village so many years ago; the proof was strolling nonchalantly along side him. Nobody seemed to notice him though. They all returned to their previous business quickly after glaring at him, so as not to grant him the recognition of his existence. It may not be in a good way, but everyone in the village did know the name 'Uzumaki Naruto'.

* * *

"Kakashi-san, you've disappointed me." A voice rang out at the site of the memorial stone, waking Kakashi from his memories.

"And what have I done to disappoint you?" the grey-haired jounin questioned respectfully.

"You interfered with my pupil's attempt to dispose of your student." came a calm reply.

"I apologize, I did not know he was yours; he seemed to be working for Orochimaru. Either way, I would like for my student to remain alive. With all due respect, if you attempt to kill him again, I will be left with no option but to stop you myself." answered Kakashi.

"As you wish, Kakashi-san. I will overlook your insubordination and adhere to your request. But I will need you to mend the growing darkness in his heart. If I leave him alive, you must use whatever you can to keep him from Orochimaru. You know as well as I do what will happen if that should come to pass…"

"Hai. I will do all I can to keep this village his home. Even if it means giving him the power he seeks myself…" Kakashi said, more to himself than to the voice. He had sensed the voice's presence fade away after the first few words. All it had needed was affirmation.

_I've trusted you for six years now. You had tremendous insight and reasoning even in your young age. I hope I can continue trusting you now, after what I have done for you. _thought Kakashi as he walked slowly to where he was supposed to have met Sasuke for training. He wasn't in a hurry; he had already been late _before _his little chat.

* * *

A dark-haired girl walked down the streets of Konoha. She had taken a different route than normal today, one that didn't pass by a certain apartment, Ichiraku's Ramen, or the training grounds. She didn't want to have to face him after yesterday. How would she answer his questions when she didn't know the answers herself? As she turned a corner, she bumped into someone and they both fell to the ground.

"G-gomen…" she began, but was cut off by the other person.

"Nah, that's alright, Hinata." came a familiar voice, followed by a small yipping noise. "I was just distracted, that's all. My thoughts were on that copycat I just ran into, or copy_fox_ is more like it…"

"What do you mean, Kiba-kun?" she asked curiously.

"Here he comes now, maybe he can tell you. As for me, I told Shino I'd meet him about something. See ya later!" with that last confusing remark, he ran off, his pet dog following close beside him.

By the time she turned to see who he was referring to, it was too late; he had already noticed her.

"Oi, Hinata!" he called out, making his way over toward her. "What's with that look? Is there something on my face?" he asked, wiping his hand across his face.

He had already forgotten their awkward encounter. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Her eyes drifted down to the ground as they often did, and she saw something that brought Kiba's other strange comment back into her head. Standing beside Naruto was an average-sized, rather impatient-looking, fox, with nine tails flowing behind him.

"N-Naruto-kun? Who's that?" she questioned, looking at the fox.

"Oh, that's just Kyuubi, he's my pet." he answered casually, no longer having to worry about his friends thinking he's a demon.

"I-Is t-that K-Kyuubi, the d-demon that attacked K-Konoha?" asked the girl, hesitant to hear the answer.

Almost as if in response to her question, Kyuubi looked up at Naruto and said with a snarl, **"I'm _not _your pet!"**

Hinata just stared in shock with wide eyes at the two before her as Naruto mocked Kyuubi with a reply. Here was the boy she loved arguing with what appeared to be a harmless fox whom he called his pet, which she had just found out was the most powerful demon throughout the land that was supposedly defeated many years ago.

"If you're not my pet, why'd you fetch me some ramen yesterday?"

"**I just wanted to stretch my legs."**

"You could've just asked if you needed me to walk you…"

"**That's not what I meant!"**

"So you must have gotten some ramen for yourself without telling me. Don't worry, I don't blame you."

They continued this for a while with an awe-struck Hinata watching them from the sidelines, and after a while the argument drifted, and Kyuubi's words gave Naruto inspiration for a new technique…

"So if you're so sure you're not a pet, does that make you a summon creature."

"**Brat! How dare you compare me to them! I'm not just some idiot who appears out of nowhere with the use of a few hand signs!"**

_Maybe _you_ aren't…_thought Naruto mischievously, as he raced off to where he was sure he would find Jiraiya. The sannin had taught him frog summoning just yesterday, which he still couldn't do right, but he hoped the man would be able to answer a few questions he had on the subject.

* * *

Kakashi arrived to find a very annoyed Sasuke waiting for him on the plateau. He had an idea how to draw the boy's attention from the power that Orochimaru had offered, but it wasn't going to be easy. There was one move of his that could rival the power of even Orochimaru's techniques, and Sasuke was lucky enough to have what it takes to learn it. But first he would have to attain a speed comparable to that of Rock Lee, Konoha's best taijutsu specialist. After that was accomplished, he could move on.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, seriousness present in his voice, "I'm going to teach you a very powerful technique. I trust you to know to use it responsibly. Before you can learn it, you need to be much faster than you are now. That is why for the next week, we will be training your speed to the breaking point. This is necessary to obtain the power of Chidori."

* * *

Naruto arrived at the Hot Springs and, sure enough, Jiraiya was sitting in his usual spot. "Ero-sennin!"

The man turned around, obviously very aggravated. "Naruto! I thought I gave myself- I mean, gave you the day off. What do you want now!"

"I had some questions about summoning, and I thought it'd be best to ask you." the blonde-haired boy replied simply.

"Listen Naruto, I already told you, if you want your frogs to have legs, you just have to use more chakra. That the only way you can-"

"No, not that, I wanted to ask you about a kind of summon I saw during the second part of the Chunnin exam."

Jiraiya was justifiably suspicious at first, but realizing that his student wanting to learn was a very rare occurrence, he brushed off his suspicion and answered his student's questions.

* * *

Jiraiya sat on top of the Hokage's tower, at Naruto's request. He was told to watch from there, and keep a scroll Naruto had given him next to him. He looked down at the entrance, wondering what new skill Naruto was going to demonstrate to him, considering the nearly useless and seemingly unrelated tidbits of information he had shown Naruto.

The blonde-haired genin arrived at the entrance to the tower, receiving glares from the two ANBU that were stationed there. They knew something was amiss, as they were the ones who usually chased after him whenever he pulled one of his trademark pranks.

"Hey guys." he said as he reached behind his back to get something. The ANBU prepared for a prank, almost expecting smoke-bombs to come hurdling towards them. Instead, they saw him place the object on his face, drawing his hand away to reveal a badly crafted and just as badly painted ANBU mask, which resembled the face of a fox.

"Bet you can't catch me." he taunted, running behind the corner of a building. Before they could get to him, he performed three quick hand seals that Jiraiya had taught him, a type of activation jutsu. As the ANBU rounded the corner, all there was left where the boy had stood was a few wisps of smoke, quickly clearing away.

Jiraiya watched somewhat surprised to see Naruto just disappear. Thinking back to what he had shown him, he realized what Naruto had done just before he heard a noise next to him. He turned to see Naruto standing beside him on the now blank scroll, a triumphant look glued to his face.

"BAKA!" Jiraiya shouted, shattering his victorious look, "You used a summoning scroll to summon yourself!" Naruto now had his eyes closed and was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Opening his eyes he saw Jiraiya start to raised his fist, the perfect chance to prove his idea's usefulness. Activating three hand signs once again, he disappeared in another puff of smoke and Jiriaya's fist only hit air.

_Good thing I had left a backup scroll in my apartment. _he thought, _but it took me all day to make those scrolls! Now I've got make them all over again! _A loud growl from his stomach sounded through his thoughts. _Okay, maybe after I eat.

* * *

_

"**You." **it said after the boy had run off. It took her a few moments to realize Kyuubi was talking to her.

"Y-Yes K-Kyuubi?" she asked, a bit scared.

"**You don't have to fear me; that kid still has all my chakra."**

"Y-you mean, N-Naruto-kun?"

"**Yes, that's what he's called. Anyway, if you see him again, tell him I'm at his usual training ground. If that dog-boy's pet can fight, then I should be able to too."**

"So you are Naruto-kun's pet." she teased, smiling at the thought.

"**I said don't call me that." **He replied, looking away in embarrassment. Maybe he was Naruto's pet now, as much as he hated the thought of it, there wasn't really any other word to describe him.

As the fox bolted off, sticking mainly to unpopulated streets and alleys, Hinata turned to walk home. She had managed to pull her thoughts from the confusion of yesterday, only to have them latch onto today's encounter.

* * *

She had trained all day after meeting with her team at their usual spot. She noticed her teammates whispering something to each other during training, Kiba at one point raising his voice enough for her to make out '…in the first match? That soon?'.

She was now walking home as the sun set behind her, the moon now clearly visible above her as it made its reappearance.

* * *

End of chapter 3

This chapter is longer, but still not long enough, correct? That's because I plan on increasing the chapter's length by about 500 words with each one I write. (The first is just over 1,000, this one is just over 2,000). Please leave reviews! Next chapter will be posted when I finish it.


	4. Moving Towards the Future's Past

**I don't own Naruto.**

Hello again! Today, I felt like making time mad by completely refusing the idea of writing in chronological order. Therefore, I skipped ahead to the final matches of the chunnin exams, and I will be describing all that I skipped with flashbacks that will not only be out of chronological order, but will be from multiple people's perspectives as well. Even so, it should still be easy to understand while providing additional insight into situations.

* * *

Moving Towards the Future's Past

Flashback

* * *

Naruto sat awake in his apartment one night. He had spent most of his time with Ero-sennin practicing his summoning jutsu each day, but he still had made little progress at all. Afterwards he would spend hours making another self-summoning scroll. Today he was getting annoyed at the amount of time it used to make each scroll.

Naruto grinned in relief after finishing the scroll, with this one he had a count of ten ready for use. Ero-sennin said he could skip summoning practice tomorrow, at Naruto's request of course, so long as he did some form of training. He soon drifted to sleep with anticipation of tomorrow's 'training'. He could cause a lot of mischief with even ten scrolls.

* * *

Naruto awoke early the next morning, ready for a very fun day. He shoved nine of the scrolls in a backpack, and made his way out. After finding how useful it proved to be in escaping Jiraiya, he now always kept a one in his apartment, promising to himself not to use it to run from a battle.

The first scroll he slipped into the cart of a merchant who was headed back to the newly restored Water Country. It was soon afterwards that he ran into Hinata on her way to leave for a mission. He gave her a scroll and told her to open it if she needed help during the mission. He left before the confused girl could question him about it, not being able to stop and talk with all the 'training' he had to do.

The third scroll he threw as far as he could with his eyes closed, not knowing where it would end up. The fourth he hung around Kyuubi's neck like a collar, making sure the fox demon couldn't get it off by himself. He then hid three more around Konoha, and distributed the others as he saw fit.

* * *

A girl with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes walked to the last known location that anyone had seen _him, _a small plateau on the outskirts of Konoha. In her hands she carried a mysterious scroll with a shiny red ribbon wrapped around it. She had her doubts, but if anything that knuckle-head had told her was true, she had to try it out. She ran the quick conversation from that morning through her mind again.

_What do you want?_

_Relax, umm…what's your name again?_

_It's Ino, baka!_

_Yeah, whatever, Just take this. _He handed her a scroll.

_What's this thing for?_

_It's a rare scroll I found, and I'm sure Sasuke would _love _to receive it as a gift._

That's when she just ran off with the scroll in hand.

She was now almost to Sasuke's last known whereabouts. She broke into a run when the plateau came into sight.

* * *

End Flashback

Naruto was now standing in a large stadium, along with six other genins. Genins, for now, that is, as this was the final part of the Chunnin exams, a tournament for another group of shinobi to prove their abilities to a panel of judges.

There were three sand genin present, as well as four leaf genin. One sound genin and one leaf genin hadn't shown up yet, and the proctor had just announced that they would begin without them. "The first match…" he called out, loud enough for everyone in the stands to hear, "…will be between…"

Flash-forward

* * *

Hinata sat in the stands watching Naruto's fight. Next to her was her teammate, Kiba. In each of their laps was a furry animal watching the match as intently as they were. One of which was a small white dog by the name of Akamaru, who followed his partner around anywhere. The other was a fox with nine long tails, who for once seemed to be relaxed.

Naruto had introduced both Kiba and Akamaru to his pet already. They turned out to be jealous more than anything else. It wasn't the fact that Naruto's pet was _the _Kyuubi; they were jealous of Naruto having an animal partner just as Kiba did.

Kyuubi lay comfortably in Hinata's lap, its tails draping down over the seat of the chair and his head turned towards the stadium in which his former host was fighting. This person he could get used to. Being a demon, he had never really had anyone pet him, or even scratch behind his ears. She wasn't a loudmouth who was constantly insulting his respectability, much unlike the one human he had grown to know. She just sat there quietly, stroking his back as all her attention was focused on the match.

Naruto-kun wasn't doing too bad. Even though he had taken much more damage than his opponent, he was able to keep fighting. She could tell he hadn't been using all his power yet, but his actions worried her none the less.

She had been coughing a bit since the matches started. Those around her noticed it, but she didn't seem to. She just had to finish watching Naruto-kun's match, after all, he was fighting for her.

Flashback

* * *

"Thank you, Hinata."

"I've always been last place in everything. I was nervous over nothing. I was a bit depressed, but I feel better now!"

"I'll be going to the matches now," he continued, "I'll get him back for what he did to you. Oh yeah, I have a favor to ask."

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" she asked, wondering what he could possibly need her for.

"Could you take Kyuubi here with you to the matches? He mentioned looking forward to seeing some good fights for once."

"Hai, Naruto-kun!" she answered enthusiastically, glad that he would entrust such a responsibility to her.

As he started to walk away he stopped to turn back towards her. He had something else he needed to say.

* * *

End Flashback

Those last words of his were still running through her mind as she and so many other people watched the fight unfold. _'I like people like you…'_

As the fight commenced, her cough grew worse. At one point, she began to cough up blood.

"Hinata, are you all right? You must still be injured from that match a month ago." asked Kiba concernedly. Before he could get an answer, she had passed out.

* * *

End Flash-forward

"The first match…will be between…Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji!"

The crowd began to cheer at the first match of this grand event. As instructed, the other genins made their way to the waiting area, a balcony situated halfway up the stadium wall. As he saw everything was in order, the exam proctor brought down his hand with a single word: "Begin!"

Flashback

* * *

_Get up! Why can't I do this! If I can't master this technique without expending all of my chakra, how will I ever beat _him_? I've got to keep training! I've got to keep gaining power! I am an avenger! _He forced himself to his feet. _After what he did, I won't stop until I've killed him! _The memory of that fateful day still lingered in his head…

Flashback

* * *

Sasuke ran from the building in terror. He had to escape. He didn't want to die here with the rest of his clan. As he neared the end of the Uchiha sector of Konoha, a tall, familiar figure appeared in front of him.

Itachi needed assistance. Badly. He now had a new enemy on his hands. He didn't much mind the destruction of his clan. He had even had to use all his willpower to keep from killing them himself. He had lost control of it once, and killed a very close friend of his, one that he looked upon as a second brother. But despite the remorse he felt for his actions, he couldn't help but feel that the guy deserved it. It was bad enough for his clan to ally themselves with _them_, but he had found out that his friend was _willingly _working for them.

He knew who had killed the rest of the clan only minutes ago, or rather who was behind it. It was another close friend of his, a boy from outside the village. Though they didn't often speak of their personal lives to each other, they had still grown up together, equally matched in all aspects. It was only a few years ago that they found out about _them_, and they had made as promise to each other that they would kill every last one of them. Soon afterwards, they took separate paths after a disagreement on how to approach the situation. He hadn't spoken to that friend of his since. But if he remembered his friend's approach correctly, he would have made some powerful allies by now. Although they were even, he just wouldn't be able to win out against his friend's resources. He needed his own, and if understood what was going on currently, it was to opportune moment to gather them.

"Sasuke, " he started, looking into his brothers eyes. He saw innocence and fear in his young brother's eyes. He was still too young to know his part… "search for me when you can look upon me with the same eyes I show to you now. Live and become strong. Become an avenger." With that, he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Watching his little brother from a nearby rooftop, he began to plan the game out in his head. _Well, my old friend, it appears I have countered this haphazard choice of yours. It seems the pieces are laid out in my favor now. What will your next move be?

* * *

_

End Flashback

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Sasuke. You have successfully mastered the Chidori, but your chakra capacity isn't large enough to execute it more than once. We will use the one week we have left to change that, as well as implement your sharingan to avoid any possible counterattacks that the enemy may try. For now just rest, you can't do anything more in that state."

* * *

End Flashback

It had been two minutes since the fight had been signaled to begin. Everyone in the stands was either listening intently to the words the ninja exchanged or growing bored from the lack of action, depending on their age. As the words came to a close, Naruto began with his standard opening move. He charged his opponent with his arm ready to send a punch at Neji's face. Neji simply sidestepped his attempt of an attack, causing Naruto to stumble face-first into the ground.

Naruto formed a hand sign as he made his way to his feet. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he yelled as he was surrounded by clones. They all rushed at him, only to have him avoid all their attacks and take them out one by one. Naruto made more clones, more than double the previous amount, and had them surround him and charge from all directions. Much to Naruto's surprise, as well as a few of the Hyuuga in the stands, Neji began to spin, engulfing himself in a large orb of swirling chakra. As the clones collided with it, they flew backwards, all but the real one disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"I'm not done yet." Neji said with a smirk on his face. "You are in my field of divination. Hakke Rokujyuuyon Shou!" He then used his fingers to repeatedly stab at Naruto's body, effectively disabling his chakra circulatory system. Naruto managed to get to his feet afterwards, shocking Neji and anyone in the stands who knew of the tenketsu.

As Neji began to fade into his own boring flashback, Naruto couldn't help but let his mind slip back to the mission he helped to accomplish just a few weeks ago, and the events that took place afterwards…

* * *

End of chapter 4

Okay, I know I said the chapters would keep getting longer, but I didn't want to leave off in the middle of a flashback. Plus, I thought by stopping this chapter here, I could grab your attention enough to have you come back for the next chapter. Anyway, if the timeline of this chapter confused you enough to have questions, or even if it didn't, please leave a review.


	5. Memories Renewed

**I don't own Naruto.**

Sorry to take so long with this chapter. I sorta got distracted…(hides video-games from readers) Well, it's here now. I also wrote three short poems. Feel free to read those too. Before you start reading, I'll remind you that Naruto is still in his fight with Neji, this chapter is just a collective memory of those who are in it, to explain some of the events from before the chunnin exam finals.

* * *

Memories Renewed

"So our mission is just to deliver some package? Well that's pretty lame." complained an aggravated genin as he and his team made their way away from the eastern gates of Konoha.

"It's not just any package, Kiba." their jounin instructor replied, "It contains important documents that need to be delivered to an important figure in Wave Country. There is a high probability that enemy ninja will try to intercept the package, and we will need to ensure its safe delivery."

"I see now." commented the other boy in the team, "This isn't just a delivery mission then. Someone powerful is after these documents; that's why the client requested they be delivered by shinobi."

"Correct, Shino." answered Kurenai.

Hinata looked down nervously when hearing this. Sure, she had gotten much stronger in the past two weeks, but she didn't like the sound of having to fight someone powerful. She began to think of the scroll Naruto-kun had given her, unaware of the two dark figures trailing behind them.

A voice suddenly pierced through the darkness ahead of them. "Hand over the package and we won't kill you. You're completely surrounded by no less than 10 jounin. You can't win." The speaker stepped out of the darkness to reveal a cloth-covered face, his eyes covered by a mist ninja headband. Kurenai knew why. When he used the mist technique this country was famous for, he wouldn't be able to see anyway.

The frightened girl activated her byakugan, confirming that he was telling the truth. "Kurenai-sensei, w-what should we do?"

"I don't know. I can't even take on this many shinobi. Any of you have an idea?" was her reply.

"I-I have a scroll, b-but I don't know if it will help or not." This confused Kurenai.

"How do not know what it does?" she questioned suspiciously.

"Naruto-kun gave it to me before we left. He said to open it if I needed help, but…" her head once again drooped downwards, "…but, he didn't mention what it did…"

Kurenai smiled at the blushing girl's answer, glad he was starting to notice her more. But this wasn't the time to be happy; she quickly focused her mind back on the situation. "Well, if it will help in any way, now would be the time to use it."

Hinata pulled the scroll out of her backpack, and placed it on the ground in front of her. Carefully, she opened the scroll, a large cloud of smoke erupting from it.

It took a few seconds, but the smoke cleared. They all sweat-dropped at the sight, before Kiba burst into laughter. Kurenai started to giggle as well, realizing what Naruto had meant the scroll to do. Shino remained quiet and Hinata began blushing furiously.

Laying on the ground in front of Hinata was a sleeping Naruto, wearing his pajamas as well as a black and white nightcap. Their minds all quickly focused back on matters as their attacker also let out a small chuckle.

"Well, that really was entertaining, but I'm still going to need those documents from you." the man said as he drew a katana from its sheath.

Kurenai stepped in front of the genin as the man charged at them, his blade ready to strike. But time seemed to freeze just before he reached them, a bright flash of light and an equally loud clap of thunder tore through their minds. When things returned to normal, the ground was coated with ash, in which danced a multitude of tiny black flames finishing their meal before sputtering out minutes later.

Kurenai was the only one who had truly seen it. Eleven strikes of bright blue lightning had rained down around them, hitting their targets simultaneously. The men who attacked them were gone, reduced to nothing but ash.

_That wasn't any ordinary lightening! But…it couldn't be! They beat it! I was there! _An old image flashed through her head. Kakashi was on his knees, his right hand badly burnt from an overabundance of chakra. Asuma was huddled down over one of his one of his students, one of the two that had come along. The other boy lay unconscious near him, a light burn on his arm the only sign he had been hurt. Asuma was examining a symbol that was now present on the uninjured one's stomach. That boy, she remembered, had survived, but just barely. _That kid! Did the seal…? No, It was too weakened to have…but that means…_She looked around warily, but saw no one. They seemed to be safe for now.

Not so far away, standing in a tree, were the two dark figures that had been trailing them. They wore straw hats, as well as black cloaks with red clouds on them. One had a large, bandaged, sword shaped object in his had, which was supported by his shoulder. The other lowered his arm, which had been held straight in front of him a moment ago. _Kurenai Yuhi, is it?_ he thought to himself, _Your brother sends his regards. _With that, the two disappeared, leaving the team of genin and their 'guest' to complete the mission.

* * *

Naruto awoke to unfamiliar surroundings the next morning. The ceiling was now green, and much lower than he remembered. His bed was much harder now, but still soft enough for him to sleep in. He then turned to see three other genin waking up near him.

"Hey, what are you three doing in my room?" he asked with a yawn, stretching his arms outward.

They thought for a moment before their reactions from last night returned to them when they remembered why Naruto was now with them. "We're on a mission." Shino finally answered after the others had mostly returned to normal.

"All right! A mission! Hey wait, I don't remember being assigned a mission…" he said, eying Shino suspiciously.

"_We _were assigned a mission. _You _just sort of…showed up." replied Shino in his usual monotone, turning his head toward Hinata with the last two words. She looked down and started blushing, not sure if it was from guilt or embarrassment, or a mixture of the two.

"Ah, I see you're all awake." A voice called into the tent, interrupting the chaotic interrogation that the genin had begun.

* * *

After Kurenai explained their mission to Naruto, they packed up camp and continued onward. Naruto wasn't told of the events that he slept through last night. As they walked, Naruto realized that nobody in Konoha would know where he was. _Oh Well, _he thought, _Kyuubi can get food on his own, hopefully not something that he might have to chase…Iruka's busy teaching classes, and Jiraiya…well, I'm pretty sure he won't even notice I'm gone. _It wasn't long before their destination was in sight; An average-sized town on a island not too far off shore.

They stood before an enormous bridge; one Naruto took a while to recognize. Merchants were hauling their goods across the bridge in both directions. The sky was clearer than it had been that day, and prosperity could now be felt radiating from the busy streets of the city at the bridge's end.

As they started across the bridge, Naruto noticed a familiar old man standing at the edge of the bridge, watching people pass by. "Oi, Old Man!" Naruto yelled with a wave, leaving the others to run up to the man.

The other three then managed to catch up to Naruto and were about to tell him to stop annoying strangers when the man responded. "Naruto! I haven't seen you in a while!" the man answered happily. "What do you think of The Great Naruto Bridge?"

Kurenai got a dumbfounded look on her face, Kiba's jaw dropped, Shino just raised an eyebrow, and Hinata seemed to try and lift her feet off the ground as if she were standing on some precious item of Naruto's before realizing what she was doing and relaxing a bit. Naruto was the first to speak. "Wow! You named the bridge after me? That's so cool!"

"Naruto? Who is this guy and why did he call the bridge that?" Kurenai questioned suspiciously.

"Everyone, this is Tazuna, the bridge-maker guy," Tazuna scowled at the boy's lack of respect, "and he made this bridge while I protected him from these really strong guys who turned out to be not so bad in the end, but then their boss came with a bunch of thugs and Zabuza put a kunai in his mouth and was like…" here Naruto made a series of noises and body gestures, "…and then Kakashi helped me scare the rest of them away, and Sasuke wasn't dead, but those two…" his voice trailed off and his head tilted downward.

When Tazuna saw that he wasn't going to continue, he decided it was time to interrupt. "Why don't you all come by my house later? I'll explain things better to you then."

Naruto immediately brightened up when he remembered a promise he had made last time he was here. "Hey, Old Man, how's Inari doing?"

"Quite good, actually. He's much happier these days. He'll be excited to hear that you're in town again. He's really been looking forward to a visit from you."

"Great! Tell him I'll stop by for a visit later. First I have to complete a mission, then I wanna get some ramen." Naruto replied with a wide grin.

"I'll tell you what," Kurenai interrupted unexpectedly, "Since the delivery point is only a few blocks away, we'll split up to save time. Shino, Kiba, you two will deliver the package, then you may relax for a while. You two," she added, referring to Naruto and Hinata, "can go find a place to eat. I'd go too, but I need to stay behind to have a word with Tazuna-san…"

After the genin had left (Hinata a little hesitantly), Tazuna turned his attention to Kurenai. "What was it you needed to speak with me about?" he questioned.

"Nothing really…so, where's this house of yours?" Tazuna looked confused for a moment, but decided just show her where he lived so she could show the others.

* * *

Naruto led Hinata around town, and it wasn't long before they had come across a ramen shop. As they ate, it was silent at first, but Naruto couldn't stand being quiet even while eating. As he started asking questions, Hinata was answering them to be polite, but she soon began to talk more as well.

Eventually they had a good conversation going about Hinata's family, Naruto's newly acquired pet, and what they had been doing since the academy. When the pile of empty bowls in front of Naruto began to obscure his view of the cook, he decided he was full. He then realized he had been so caught up in talking to Hinata that he was late for a visit to an old friend of his. Rushing to pay for his food (Hinata's single bowl of ramen as well) he hurried out an explanation to the shy girl.

"I've gotta go see Inari now. I promised I'd visit him. Talk to you later." Without thinking, he leaned over and gently gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then rand off waving behind him to leave the stunned girl staring after him.

It wasn't until he was almost to Inari's that he realized what he had done. Come to think of it, he really didn't know why he did it. Hopefully she would understand if he apologized and explained what happened to her. He didn't want her to hate him for a silly accident like that. If it had been Sakura, he might not be alive right now. He was lucky Hinata was so kind…

* * *

End of chapter 5

Please leave a review! Suggestions, comments, questions, all are welcome! Next chapter will have some action, the chunnin exam finals commence!


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